New Zealand Football chief executive Andy Martin said he was "disappointed" by Andreas Heraf's post-match comments about the Football Ferns but he won't force the Austrian to resign from either of his roles.

Speaking from Russia, Martin said both of Heraf's jobs as technical director and coach of the Football Ferns were safe.

"He was brought in as the technical director with a clear purpose," Martin said.

"We've got this jigsaw around the talent space that has not been cracked for a long time. Andreas was the best candidate in that area. He'll be judged on that technical plan."

Andreas Heraf says injuries and an eye to the future drove his ultra-defensive strategy against Japan.
Source: 1 NEWS

Heraf caused uproar after the Football Ferns' 3-1 loss to Japan in Wellington - their first match in the capital since 1991 - when he employed ultra-defensive tactics throughout the match, leading critics to believe he never even gave the home team a chance to win.

The Austrian worsened the situation after the match when he said that New Zealand would "never have that quality to compete with Japan" - a statement he later said was "one big misunderstanding".

"I meant that maybe we'll never have the technical skills like Japan or Brazil, which is not a shame but I'm still convinced we can beat these teams on the world stage," he said.

Martin said while he was "disappointed" about the press conference comments, he also sees the potential in Heraf's process.